The Shield is a 2004 English-language Crime Drama series developed by Shawn Ryan. The series was Produced by Michael Chiklis under the banner of MiddKid Productions in collaboration with Columbia TriStar Domestic Television , Sony Pictures Television , Fox Television Studios and The Barn Productions. for FX. Known for its portrayal of corrupt police officers, it was originally advertised as Rampart in reference to the true-life Rampart Division police scandal, on which the show's Strike Team was loosely based. The shield features Michael Chiklis, Catherine Dent, Reed Diamond, Walton Goggins, Michael Jace, Kenny Johnson and Ronreaco Lee. Cinematography was done by Rohn Schmidt. The show has a running time of 45-69 minutes for each episode. The show has a total of 88 episodes during it's run of 7 seasons. Distribution rights for the series were acquired by Sony Pictures Television. Known for its portrayal of corrupt police officers, it was originally advertised as Rampart in reference to the true-life Rampart Division police scandal, on which the show's Strike Team was loosely based.